Mop head attachment plate having bail aligning and guiding means



RONES Er AL HMENT PLATE wwmc BAIL mm cummc mus Filed May 9, 195a J. M. MOP HEAD ATTAC ALIGNING Oct. 4, 1960 INVENTOR.

Joy-m C.ALE1ANDE.R.

A TQQUEYS UnItd fltEflt ica v MOP HEAD ATTACHMENT PLATE HAVING BAIL ALIGNING AND GUIDING MEANS James M. Rones and John "C. Alexander, High Point, NE assignors to Klip-On Products, Inc., High Point,

This invention relates to mops, and more particularly to a mop having improved means for attaching the mop handle to the mop head. a

A main object of the invention is to provide a novel and improved mop head attaching structure for detachably securing a mop head to a mop handle, the structure involving simple components, being inexpensive to fabricate, and being durable in construction.

A further object of the invention is to provide an improved attaching plate device for use on a mop head for facilitating the attachment of the mop head to a mop handle, the attaching device being compact in size, being easy to fasten to a mop handle, and providing a se cure and rigid connection of the mop head to the handle when locked in place.

Further objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following description and claim, and from the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure l is a perspective view of the lower portion of a mop provided with the improved mop head attaching means of the present invention, showing the mop head secured to the mop handle.

Figure 2 is an enlarged vertical cross sectional view taken on the line 22 of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a perspective view showing a mop handle locking means in released position, and indicating the manner in which the bail element of a mop handle is engaged with the hook-shaped connecting flange of the mop head.

Figure 4 is a fragmentary perspective view of the upper portion of the mop head and showing an improved mop head attachment plate in accordance with the pres-. ent invent-ion secured on the mop head.

Referring to the drawings, 11 designates a mop head comprising a plurality of mop strands 12, said strands be ing secured at their intermediate portions in a flat elongated clamping band 13 of suitable sheet material, whereby the strands depend from opposite sides of the flat clamping band 13. Rigidly secured to the clamping band on its top portion is a plate member 14, said plate member being secured to the clamping band by the rivets 15 employed to fasten the band to the intermediate portions of the mop strands 12, as is clearly shown in Figure 2.

The plate member 14 is formed with the upwardly projecting flange 16, which is substantially coextensive in length with the plate member and which is formed at its top portion with the generally triangular channel 17 terminating in the depending subflange 18 which is directed toward the top surface of the plate member 14, as is clearly shown in Figure 2, the plate member 14 thus being formed to define a hook-like body of substantialwidth. The V-shaped channel element 17 is dimensioned so that it is nestingly receivable in the bottom V-shaped looking channel 19 of a conventional mop handle assembly 20, said assembly being of the typeprovided with a locking bail 21 which is movable towards a clamping position relative to the V-shaped locking channel 19. Thus, the side arms of the locking bail 21 are slidably l 2,954,575 Patented Oct. 4, 1960 engaged between the respective pairs of guide fingers 22 provided at the ends of the transversely extending rigid head element 23 secured to the end of the elongated handle rod 24. The ends of the side arms of said bail are secured to a channel-shaped locking lever 25 which is hingedly connected at 26 to the top end turn of a coiled spring 27 surrounding the handle rod 24, the bottom turn of said coiled spring being rigidly secured to the socket element 28 in which the end of the handle rod 24 is fastened. Of course, it will be recognized that the parts of the mop handle assembly which may he described as conventional per se are the bail 21, rod 24, spring 27, and lever 25. When the locking lever 25 is rotated downwardly, as shown in Figure 3, the bail is lowered relative to the V-shaped bottom channel 19 of the mop handle assembly, whereby the bail may be engaged in the hook-like flange 17 of the mop head attaching plate 14. When the lever 25 is rotated to a vertical position wherein it is nestingly engaged against the handle rod 24, as shown in Figure 2, the horizontally extending bight element 30 of the bail member 21 clamps the V- shaped channel element 17 nestingly in the V-shaped bottom channel 19 of themop handle assembly and locks the mop head to the mop handle assembly. As shown in Figure 2, due to the interfitting relationship of the V shaped channel 17 and the locking channel 19 of the mop handle assembly, the mop head is rigidly clamped to the mop handle assembly and cannot rotate relative thereto. Under these conditions, the coiled spring 27 is under considerable tension, and the force thereof is transmitted to the horizontal bail element 30, said bail element being urged upwardly by the action of the spring and exerting clamping force on the bottom surface of the crest portion of the V-shaped channel member 17. However, when the lever 25 is rotated downwardly from the position of Figure 2, the compression on the spring 27 is relieved and the bail 21 is allowed to slide downwardly relative to the transverse head element 23, unlocking the mop handle assembly and allowing the horizontal bail portion 30 to be disengaged from the hook-like flange member 17.

Apertures 17' are spaced along the apex of the flange member 17 to allow setting or repair of the rivets 15.

As shown in Figure 4, the V-shaped channel member 17 is preferably provided with the outwardly extending triangular end portions 31, 31 which provide cam surfaces facilitating alignment of the bail 21 with the channel 17. In the event that the bail 21 with which the mop head is to be employed is somewhat shorter than the total length of the V-shaped channel member 17, the triangular end portions 31, 31 may be easily cut off so as to shorten said V-shaped channel member sufliciently to receive bail member 2'1.

From the foregoing, it will be noted that this inventhe attachment of a mop head or the like to its handle,

the improvement comprising a plate member 14 having a flange 16 projecting upwardly from one side thereof and a lower nesting channel 17 secured to the upper end of the flange 16. The aforementioned tapering end portions 31 will be seen to constitute cam surfaces for directing the bail 21 into engagement with the apex portion of the lower channel 17.

While a specific embodiment of an improved'mop construction is disclosed in the foregoing description, it will be understood that various modifications within the spirit of the invention may occur to those skilled in the art. Therefore, it is intended that no limitations be placed on the invention except as defined by the scope of the appended claim.

What is claimed is:

A clamping means for attachment of a mop head or the like to itshandlecomprising a plate member adapted to be secured to a mop head and having side edges, an upwardly extending flange rigid with and projecting from the plate at one of said sideedges thereof, a lower nesting ehannel including longitudinal sidesedges and secured tof'the upper edge of the flange along one of said longitudinal edges, said lower channel being of inverted V- shaped cross-section with a pointed apex portion, said portion pointing away from said plate, said lower channel having each of its end portions tapering outwardly from the other of said longitudinal edges whereby said channel is progressively increased in length from said last-named edge toward its longitudinal median line coinciding with said apex portion, a clamping assembly secured to said handle, said clamping assembly including a substantially U-shaped locking bail movable toward and clampingly receivable in said apex portion of said lower channel, said bail including a bight and side arms, said bight portion of said bail being substantially coextensive in length with said apex portion of said lower channel and being of substantially greater length than said other longitudinal edge of said lower channel, an upper nesting channel of V-shaped cross-section with a pointed apex portion mating with the first named apex portion and coextensive in length therewith, said upper channel 2,954,575 r p a A.

being adapted to bear flush against said lower channel References Cited inthe fileof this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 7 728,837 Beeby May 26, 1903 732,742 Held July 7, 1903 1,105,533 .Pollock July 28, 1914 1,362,811 Mills Dec. 21, 1920 1,615,085 James Jan. 18, 1927 1,626,036 Higgins Apr. 26, 1927 2,062,049 Cabana Nov. 24,1936

FOREIGN PATENTS 146,602 Sweden Aug. 24, 1954 211,652 Great Britain Feb. 28, 1924 225,335 Great Britain Dec. 4, 1 924 

